"WE REAFFIRMED OUR DETERMINATION TO PURSUE REFORMS"

Egemen Bagis, Minister for EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator, stated: "The reforms we conducted in line with the EU accession process are indeed the efforts to enable our people reach the high standards they deserved."

In the press meeting organized with the attendance of the Minister of Justice Sadullah Ergin, the Interior Minister Besir Atalay and the Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on 22 May following the 16th Reform Monitoring Group meeting which was held in Hatay after the meeting in Ankara, Bagis expressed that they were exerting great efforts to accelerate the reform process for Turkey to become a more contemporary country.

Reminding that the RMG met three times in the last 6 months, Bagis said: "We have announced that we decided to hold a meeting in every two months. Also the Prime Minister welcomed our decision to hold the meeting once a year under his presidency."

Bagis noted that the reforms they conducted in line with the EU accession process were indeed the efforts to enable our people reach the high standards they deserved.

Bagis continued his speech as follows:

"Turkey's success criteria in the EU accession process are not the number of chapters opened but the reforms made. We arrange the priority of the reforms by taking the sensitive issues of our country into account. As we are conducting these reforms, the chapters are spontaneously opening. Therefore, reforms are very important."

Noting that the political reforms are an indispensable part of the EU accession process, Bagis added:

"When we consider Turkey's EU membership process of 50 years, from Menderes's application in 1959 up to today, we see that Turkey didn't get a negotiation date in these 45 years. The reforms rapidly carried out in 2002-2005 compelled the EU to determine a negotiation date. Reforms are the most important part of our EU process. When we attach the necessary importance to reforms, the rest of the process will easily be performed.

We carried out very important works, reforms in the last 6 months. We reaffirmed our determination to pursue these reforms according to Turkey's national program. Therefore, 11 of 33 chapters were opened last week on 30 June.

We attach importance to Sweden's EU presidency which starts on July, 1. Sweden is especially important among all the EU countries, as all of the 7 parties in the Swedish Parliament support Turkey's EU membership. We hold a meeting on 1 July in Ankara with the attendance of all ministers and the authorities; and assessed the situation to get prepared for this meeting."

Expressing that the steps which were taken in Turkey in the last term were appreciated, Bagis said: "We changed EUSG Organization Law together in the TGNA. Communication department to be established with this law in EUSG will enable the successful communication of the reforms."Resource: AA